We had our first ever Games Networking event today. Games studios from up and down the country came up to Hull to talk to our students and discuss the state of the business. It was interesting the way that a composite viewpoint emerged with each successive speaker. These are the main points that were made

Good qualifications are nice, but a great portfolio of things you have made is the thing that will really get you places. Particularly if it is packed with stuff you did "just to see what you could do" and shows off lots of different technologies.

Networking is key, and Twitter is one of the best ways to make contacts. But don't forget to go out and meet people too.

Game studios may come and go, but there is always a market for capable developers. And everybody that spoke was building their business, with the consequent need for new hirings in the future.

You can find more details of the event and, if you are a Hull student sign up for the next one in February, here.

Oh, and Adam really, really, wants you to sign up for Global GameJam this weekend.

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Rob Miles is technology author and educator who spent many years as a lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Hull. He is also a Microsoft Developer Technologies MVP. He is into technology, teaching and photography. He is the author of the World Famous C# Yellow Book and almost as handsome as he thinks he is.